The TCL Q6 is an intriguing television. It's a very affordable QLED TV, even at its larger sizes. And it's a Google TV — that is, it's powered by the Google TV operating system, so you may well find that it has everything you could want to run on it already built in, negating the need for any other hardware like a streaming device.
But you do have a couple of choices when it comes to setting up your TCL Q6, though. Let's take a look.
The very first steps
Whether you're going to use your TCL Q6 in Basic mode, or as a true Google TV, there are three quick steps that are universal to the process.
Step 1: Select a language (either English, French, or Spanish).
Step 2: Select your region or country (U.S., Canada, or Mexico).
Step 3: Choose whether to set up as a Google TV, or as a Basic TV. Keep reading for instructions for both methods.
How to set up the TCL Q6 in Basic Mode
This method is pretty quick and straightforward, because you're going to be using the TCL Q6 as a basic television, without signing in to a Google account. That doesn't mean you're completely out of smart TV options — TCL has some of its own baked into the operating system that doesn't require you to use a Google account. But if you plan on using some other device with the TV — like a Roku or Fire TV Stick or Apple TV — then this is the route you want to take.
Step 1: Select your Wi-Fi network and enter the password.
Note that you can choose to skip this step if you want (look for the button at the bottom). But we recommend connecting the TV to your network at least once so that it can pull down any important updates. But you do not have to have it connected to the internet for it to work as a Basic television.
Step 2: Accept the Google Play and TCL terms of service.
Yes, you still have to accept these even if you're not going to use it as a Google TV, because Google software is still powering the entire experience.
Step 3: Pair your remote control via the instructions on the screen.
Step 4: If you haven't hooked your TV up to your home network, you'll be asked to set a time zone (if you did grant internet access, it'll pull that automatically).
Step 5: Accept the TCL user agreements and/or choose to share diagnostics data (that option still appears even if the TV doesn't have internet access).
Step 6: Choose (or not) to accept automatic updates to the TV's base software.
Step 7: Choose Done.
Set up the TCL Q6 as a Google TV
If you want to use the TCL Q6 to its fullest — that is, as a full Google TV with all the bells and whistles and apps that come with it — this is the method you want to use.
Note that much of this can be done with your phone, whether you have Android or iOS. But if you don't, you also can sign in on the television itself. It's just not quite as easy.
We're not going to walk you through the entire process because a good bit of it may be done on a phone, and Google may change how that looks at any given time. But you'll get the idea here.
Step 1: Choose Set up Google TV on the screen that gives you the option.
Step 2: Choose whether to set up Google TV via your phone, or on the television itself.
Step 3: If you've opted to complete setup on the television itself, enter your Google username and password. (And, hopefully, your two-factor authentication code, which you most definitely should be using.)
Step 4: If you've opted to set up on your phone, fire up the Google Home app.
Step 5: Go to the Devices tab. Tap the Add button.
Step 6: Choose New Device and follow the rest of the on-screen instructions from there.
Another thing to note: If you opt to set up the Google TV option via your phone, you might well end up having to approve some things on your phone -- and then again on the TV once you've gotten through the initial Google setup. It's duplicative and sort of annoying, but you didn't do anything wrong.
And for the most part, the TCL Q6 setup process is pretty intuitive (especially if you're just going to use it as a Basic TV). It'll take a few minutes, and hopefully it's not something that you'll need to do more than once. But if you do, we can help you reset your TCL Q6, too.
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